Andrea Lobo, PhD,  science writer—

Andrea Lobo holds a PhD in cell biology/neurosciences from the University of Coimbra-Portugal, where she studied stroke biology. As a research scientist for 19 years, Andrea participated in academic projects in multiple research fields, from stroke, gene regulation, cancer, and rare diseases. She has authored multiple research papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Articles by Andrea Lobo

Blood GDF15 levels at diagnosis seen as predicting outcomes

Blood levels of a signaling molecule called growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) at diagnosis may help predict poor outcomes, including kidney failure and death, in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a study in South Korea. Data also showed that GDF15 levels were significantly associated with AAV…

C4d protein may be biomarker of ANCA-associated vasculitis activity

People with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) have significantly higher blood levels of C4d, a protein that reflects activation of the classic or lectin complement pathways of the immune system, a study in Sweden suggests. Patients with self-reactive antibodies, called ANCAs, against the proteinase-3 (PR3) protein had significantly higher blood Cd4…

GPX-3 may be blood biomarker of AAV disease activity: Study

Lower blood levels of glutathione peroxidase-3 (GPX-3), an antioxidant enzyme, are significantly associated with greater disease activity and blood vessel damage in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), a study found. “We demonstrated that [blood] GPX-3 concentration at diagnosis has the potential to be a novel biomarker that can assess…

Blood sulfatide count at AAV diagnosis may predict kidney failure

People with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients whoo have low blood levels of sulfatides, a type of fatty molecule, are significantly more likely to have future kidney failure, a single-center study in South Korea indicates. The predictive potential of blood sulfatide levels was independent of direct associations with kidney involvement…

EGPA linked to high disease burden, irrespective of clinical setting

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) patients treated at private practices in the U.S. have high disease burden associated with multiple symptoms and simultaneous health conditions, a study showed, mirroring findings reported for patients treated at academic settings. Patients treated in private practice demonstrated variable responses to standard treatments, with some patients…

Kidney function at diagnosis linked to outcomes in pediatric AAV

Most children with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and kidney involvement at diagnosis will exhibit inactive kidney disease after one year, and more than two in five will show evidence of permanent kidney damage, according to data from an international registry study. A glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) — a standard measure…

Lower glucocorticoid dosing regimen may be risky, study finds

A reduced glucocorticoid dosing regimen for inducing disease remission in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) may be associated with a higher risk of poor disease outcomes in those with severe disease, compared with the standard-dose regimen. That’s according to a real-world study in France and Luxembourg that involved people…

EGPA should be considered in patients with severe asthma: Study

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) should be considered in people with uncontrolled severe asthma and high blood levels of immune cells called eosinophils — a hallmark of the autoimmune disease — according to the findings of a study from Singapore. This rare type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) was…

Respiratory manifestations common, recurrent in pediatric GPA

Most children with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) have respiratory manifestations including cough and shortness of breath at diagnosis, and these frequently persist or relapse, according to a study in the U.S. involving 13 pediatric patients. Lung abnormalities were detected in nearly all children with available imaging data at diagnosis…